DAWSON SPRINGS, KY — Youth baseball players are dealing with a major theft on top of ongoing recovery efforts after the community was hit by an EF-4 tornado in December 2021. The Dawson Springs Youth League recently discovered that someone broke into a storage unit the league was using in Eddyville and stole baseball equipment valued at $14,000.
Donations poured in for the Dawson Springs Youth League after the December 2021 tornado outbreak destroyed league’s equipment. Individuals and organizations from our area provided some of those donations.
King's Mini Storage donated a unit for the group to store their equipment in Eddyville. Dawson Springs Youth League Director Jordan Dalton and his son discovered everything was stolen on Sunday when they went to the unit to pick up some baseball pants for the Dawson Springs High School team.
Everything was stolen: helmets, cleats, pants, bats, gloves and more. Baseball and softball seasons are coming up, so the theft is a setback.
Jordan Dalton’s wife, Rebekah Dalton, said the theft is gut-wrenching.
"We are aware how expensive it can be, and the kids here had lost so much already," said Dalton.
She said when her son and husband got to the storage unit they could not believe what they saw.
"They found the lock had been cut, and the entire storage unit was empty. So, everything that had been donated over the past year that we'd been saving up for opening season was gone, and all that equipment goes to the kids," said Dalton.
As frustrating as she said it is, the group just wants its equipment back to be able to provide a fun summer season for the kids.
"No questions asked. Just bring it all back. This is for the kids," said Dalton.
She said they will figure out, and they will still have a season. The league is accepting monetary donations at Planter's Bank in Dawson Springs. If you have equipment to donate, you can message the Dawson Springs Youth League Facebook page.
The Lyon County Sheriff's Department is investigating the theft. Deputies ask anyone with information about the incident to call 270-388-2311.
